Who can and cannot apply
You must apply as part of a partnership
All organisations in your partnerships must be a:
- constituted voluntary or community organisation
- registered charity
- Scottish charitable incorporated organisation (SCIO)
- not-for-profit company
- community interest company (CIC)
- statutory body (including local authorities and community councils)
- community benefit society
Who should be in your partnership
Your partnership can be:
- local, regional or national
- new or already established
You could partner with:
- community and third-sector organisations
- statutory services
- researchers
- policymakers
We want to fund partnerships that:
- ensure equitable access to project funding and resources
- consider capacity building and good governance
- share what you learn across the sector and with other projects we fund
How we fund partnerships
We’ll give our funding to the lead organisation in a partnership. They can then pay the other partners for the work they do.
The lead partner will be responsible for the funding and the accounting for how it’s spent.
Before you get funding, we’ll need to see your partnership agreement.
Board or committee member requirements
To apply, your organisation must have at least 3 board or committee members who are not related. If you're a company, you must have at least 3 directors who are not related.
We consider people to be related if they are:
- married or in a civil partnership
- in a long-term relationship or live together
- related by blood or through a partner
Who cannot apply
Who we cannot accept applications from:
- individuals or sole traders
- organisations based outside the UK
- companies that pay profits to directors, shareholders or members (rather than reinvesting them for charitable purposes). This includes companies limited by shares
- organisations that have had funding for the same work, we will not fund the same work twice
- one organisation applying on behalf of another (unless you’re applying together as a partnership)
We will not fund profit-making organisations
For example, an organisation that can share profits privately.
However we welcome partnerships that include private sector partners who provide match funding or pro bono support. This support should strengthen your project and help increase its impact.